HIV Clinical Training for Doctors

Aimed at medical personnel with different levels of HIV experience in both urban and rural locations within resource constrained countries, the HIV clinical training program covers all areas of clinical HIV management.

Professor Suzanne Crowe AM is recognised for her expertise of over 25 years in HIV clinical management. She established the first HIV clinic in Melbourne in 1985 and has since worked as a consultant physician at Fairfield Hospital and The Alfred Hospital.

Professor Crowe AM has recruited a team of Australian clinicians with similar expertise in HIV clinical management. They work with local clinicians to develop and deliver each HIV Clinical Training Program, adapted to local guidelines.

The HIV Clinical Training Program

Over 2-3 days a mix of didactic lectures and interactive sessions including case presentations and role playing are undertaken. When possible, clinic visits and hospital ward rounds are included.

The comprehensive course covers:

• Global and Local HIV Epidemiology
• Treatment as Prevention
• Diagnosis of HIV
• Voluntary Counselling and Testing
• Discrimination
• Pathogenesis of HIV
• Post Exposure Prophylaxis
• HIV and Pregnancy
• Management of Opportunistic Infections
• Laboratory Monitoring of HIV
• Guidelines for Antiretroviral Therapy (using national guidelines)
• When to Commence and Change Antiretroviral Therapy
• Common Antiretroviral Drug Toxicities
• Paediatric HIV Clinical Management

The courses have been translated into Hindi, Bahasa and Lao.

A manual and CD containing all of the slides are provided to all participants to enable further training of local staff.

Subsequent mentoring programs are provided for continued clinical support.

Professor Crowe AM has organised and conducted more than 60 HIV clinical training programs in resource limited countries in the Asia-Pacific since 2003. Across 60 cities in India, Indonesia, Fiji, Macedonia, Myanmar and Lao PDR, 1,685 medical personnel have trained in these programs.